Shirley Thomson

Catherine Znak

“Perhaps the greatest revelation was Derek Welton’s dark, resonant singing and powerful physical presence as Klingsor. Clearly this young, British-trained Australian is destined for a big Wagnerian career”

(Hugh Canning, Opera, October 2018)

Now firmly established as a Wagnerian name to note, Derek Welton made his first foray into this repertoire as Donner (Das Rheingold) under Richard Farnes at Opera North in 2011. He subsequently appeared as Klingsor (Parsifal) at the Beijing Music Festival before joining an all-star cast at Semperoper Dresden for his first Heerrufer (Lohengrin), conducted by Christian Thielemann and subsequently released on DVD. Welton debuted at the 2017 Bayreuth Festival as Klingsor under Hartmut Haenchen and was highly acclaimed for his first Wotan (Das Rheingold) at Deutsche Oper Berlin in the final presentation of the historic Götz Friedrich production.

The 19/20 season opens with concert performances of Bluebeard’s Castle at the Enescu Festival under the baton of Christian Mandeal, and further includes his role debut as Orest (Elektra) at the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia under Marc Albrecht and Wotan in Deutsche Oper Berlin’s new production of Das Rheingold directed by Stefan Herheim, and conducted by Donald Runnicles. Concert highlights include Act II of Fidelio with the Hallé Orchestra and Sir Mark Elder, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Malmö Symphony Orchestra under Robert TreviñoandMissa Solemnis with Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Runnicles.

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A native of Australia, Welton is a member of the ensemble of Deutsche Oper Berlin where he has amassed a wide repertory of roles including Altair (Die ägyptische Helena), Forester (The Cunning Little Vixen), Saint-Bris (Les Huguenots), Mr Flint (Billy Budd) and Peter (Hänsel und Gretel) and starred in new productions of Věc Makropulos under Donald Runnicles, Meyerbeer’s Le prophète under Enrique Mazzola and Korngold’s Das Wunder der Heliane under Marc Albrecht, recently released on DVD by Naxos. Derek Welton made his debut at the 2017 Salzburg Festival as Herzog von Albany in Aribert Reimann’s Lear conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, a role he reprised last season at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino under Fabio Luisi alongside two important house debuts: at the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Pandolfe (Cendrillon) under Sir Andrew Davis, and at the Bayerische Staatsoper as Klingsor under Kirill Petrenko.

An accomplished concert performer, Derek has recently appeared in The Epic of Gilgamesh with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Manfred Honeck, A Child of Our Time with the Gewandhausorchester underStefan Asbury, St Matthew Passion with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under Pablo Heras-Casado, St John Passion with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment at Theater an der Wien under Stephen Layton, Glagolitic Mass with the National Orchestra of Spain under Xian Zhang, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra under Lan Shui and The Dream of Gerontius with the Boston Philharmonic and Benjamin Zander. Welton has performed Messiah with the Hallé under Christian Curnyn, with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Paul Agnew as well as with the Minnesota Orchestra under Christopher Warren-Green and with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Stephen Layton.

Derek Welton is a graduate of both the University of Melbourne and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and a former member of the Salzburg Festival Young Singers Project.

“As Cendrillon’s wife-weary father, Derek Welton was impressive. His resonant bass-baritone supported the well-shaped lines with ease. The confidence Welton gave to the high passages stood out, along with this clarity in his lower register. In Act III, Welton approached the scene with Cendrillon with the intimacy some would associate with Verdi’s famous father-daughter exchanges.”

(SEEN AND HEARD, December 2018)

“… his consolation scene with Cinderella, when all seemed headed for the worst possible end for them both, was stunning in its deep expression of father-daughter love.”

(CHICAGO SUN TIMES, December 2018)

“The Jailer was compassionately sung by Derek Welton”

(Opera Magazine, October 2018)

“Derek Welton shows that Klingsor’s hatred of the Grail World is above all self-loathing. With his comprehension of the text and his vocal sound, he presents himself as one of the best Klingsor performers of recent times.”

(BR Klassik, August 2018)

“Expelled from the order for impure desires, Klingsor’s domain is an Islamic hall where he keeps a secret stash of crosses above, perhaps trophies for every knight Kundry has seduced. At the very least, it’s a room of penitential flagellation and a treat to see robust Australian bass Derek Welton in a brilliant Bayreuth debut, mining the villainy of his character in acting and voice while projecting the text with meaning and expression.”

(Limelight, August 2018)

“[impersonating] the unholy trio of Anabaptists with a fine feeling for their grotesque elements, [Derek Welton dispatched] Zacharie’s couplets with great verve.”

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